English II

Level 1:  Students may reasonably be expected to know or to do these things when they enter a particular grade; teachers may wish to assess these performances early in the school year in order to plan instruction.

Level 2:  This is the level at which the bulk of the instruction is aimed at this grade level.

Level 3:  These are skills/knowledge that are more challenging or require higher-level thinking.

Please note: All three levels are assessed and carry equal weight.

Content Standard: The student will develop the structural and creative skills necessary to produce written language that can be read and interpreted by various audiences.

Goal Statement: Writing is a life-long interactive process that is used to communicate with a variety of audiences and for a variety of purposes, adapting language conventions appropriately according to context. Writing is an act of discovery, a means of personal growth, and a tool for clarifying knowledge. To accomplish writing tasks more effectively, students need exposure to a variety of strategies in order to approach writing systematically, such as those included in the stages of the writing process.

Learning Expectations:

• Write to acquire knowledge, clarify thinking, synthesize information, improve study skills, gain confidence, and promote lifelong communication.
• Write frequently for a variety of purposes including narration, description, persuasion, exposition, and personal, creative expression.
• Identify and write for a variety of audiences.
• Recognize that language has several levels of usage determined by audience, purpose and occasion.
• Approach writing tasks systematically and use elements of the writing process as appropriate.
• Practice a variety of prewriting activities to generate, focus and organize ideas.
• Use a variety of appropriate organizational strategies to develop writing on various topics.
• Develop organized pieces of writing containing focused, well-developed ideas.
• Demonstrate effective writing style by the use of vivid words, a variety of sentence structures, and appropriate transitions.
• Evaluate and revise writing to focus on purpose, organization, development, transitions, unity, and audience awareness.
• Recognize and demonstrate appropriate use of standard English: usage, mechanics and standard spelling, and sentence structure.
• Identify and use a variety of resources to revise and edit writing.
• Research information to prepare presentations or reports which use summarizing, paraphrasing, direct quotations, citation of sources, and bibliographic entries.
• Continue to respond actively and imaginatively to literature.
• Demonstrate an understanding of and respect for multicultural and ethnic diversity in language.

Performance Indicators State

As documented through state assessment:

At Level 1, the student is able to

1.1.A   Correct run-on sentences by using a comma and coordinating conjunction, a subordinate conjunction, or a semi-colon within a writing sample.

1.1.B   Select the sentence from a non-fiction writing sample that relates the writer’s purpose (i.e., narration, description, persuasion, exposition, and personal, creative expression).

1.1.C   Evaluate the relevance of supporting sentences by deleting an irrelevant sentence in a passage.

1.1.D   Select the sentence that correctly uses the comparative and/or superlative forms of adjective and adverbs.

1.1.E    Select from the following groups of words the correct word for the sense of the sentence: you’re and your; it’s and its; their, they’re and there.   CVS

1.1.F    Select from the following groups of words the correct word for the sense of the sentence: stationary and stationery, complement and compliment, principle and principal, accept and except, capitol and capital, affect and effect, where and were, to and too.   CVS

1.1.G   Select a vivid word (adjective or adverb) to strengthen a description or a vivid verb to strengthen a sentence within a writing sample or passage.

1.1.H   Use editing skills to correct singular and plural possessive nouns.

1.1.I    Select the appropriate transitional word to connect sentences within a paragraph.

At Level 2, the student is able to

1.2.A   Determine the most effective placement of information using a prewriting graphic organizer.

1.2.B   Identify the correct use of subordinate conjunctions to join clauses in order to avoid sentence fragments.

1.2.C   Recognize correct subject/verb agreement with confusing intervening elements within a writing sample or passage.

1.2.D   Select an additional sentence to add to an argument within a persuasive writing sample or passage.

1.2.E   Identify correct pronoun/antecedent agreement using collective nouns or indefinite pronouns.

1.2.F   Determine the most effective order of sentences within a paragraph.

1.2.G   Select the correct pronoun case usage in a sentence (e.g., compound elements such as “between you and me” or following “than” or “as”).

1.2.H  Recognize a shift in either verb tense or point of view within a writing sample.

1.2.I    Recognize the correct placement of end marks and other marks of punctuation with quotation marks used in dialogue.

1.2.J   Select the thesis statement in a writing sample or passage.

1.2.K  Rearrange the order of supporting paragraphs within a writing sample given a  specified organizational pattern (e.g., comparison/contrast, chronological).

1.2.L  Recognize the correct use of commas to set off nonessential elements in a sentence.

1.2.M  Select the transitional device that appropriately connects paragraphs within a writing sample.

At Level 3, the student is able to

1.3.A   Select a rebuttal statement that best refutes the writer’s viewpoint.

1.3.B   Identify a statement that reveals the writer’s biases, assumptions, or values within a writing sample.

1.3.C   Revise or identify sentences using effective parallelism within a writing sample.

Performance Indicators Teacher

As documented through teacher observation:

At Level 1, the student is able to:

• describe appropriate details of his/her surroundings
• relate an incident of controversy using standard English
• write a letter to the editor and submit it to the school/local newspaper
• cast a movie for your novel (Who will play the parts and why?)
• use prewriting techniques as a springboard for writing (e.g. clustering, journals, directed response, brainstorming)
• extend the prewriting to draft a composition

At Level 2, the student is able to:

• create an explanation to a stated problem using standard English
• write a letter to a major national publication in response to its position/coverage of a subject
• rewrite a prose passage in dialogue
• illustrate and caption a comic book version of a short story or a chapter from a novel
• draft essays using the writing process
• develop a writing portfolio (e.g. genre, assessment, creativity, voice)
• differentiate between editing and revision

At Level 3, the student is able to:

• persuade others to realize a point
• research a controversial issue and present a report in which a position is effectively communicated
• rewrite a story from a different cultural perspective
• use various genre to draft a literary critique for the publishing stage

Content Standard: The student will develop the reading skills necessary for word recognition, comprehension, interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and appreciation of the written text.

Goal Statement: Reading is a lifelong process which builds on language development. Students must apply a wide range of strategies to enhance the reading process. They improve their comprehension of printed information and gain knowledge of themselves as world citizens through varied experiences with literature. As students respond to texts individually and share in literary communities, they become critical readers and experience increased comprehension and personal satisfaction.

Learning Expectations:

• Develop an understanding of and respect for multicultural, gender, and ethnic diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects.
• Discern reading strategies appropriate to text.
• Extend reading vocabulary.
• Use comprehension strategies to enhance understanding, to make predictions, and to respond to literature.
• Improve comprehension by interpreting, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating written text.
• Use oral reading in individual and group presentations.
• Read independently for a variety of purposes.
• Use cognitive strategies to evaluate text critically.
• Develop skills in making inferences and recognizing unstated assumptions.
• Discern the purposes, main ideas, biases, points of view, and persuasive devices found in various texts.
• Interpret ideas, recognize logical relationships, and make judgments based on sufficient evidence.
• Select, evaluate, and adapt resource material in order to apply it effectively.
• Read, interpret, and respond in a variety of ways to various genres.
• Identify and interpret literary elements and figurative language.
• Interact with text to form a personal interpretation.

Performance Indicators State

As documented through state assessment:

At Level 1, the student is able to

2.1.A   Discern an implied main idea from a passage.

2.1.B   Distinguish fact from opinion within a passage or writing sample.

2.1.C   Identify an author’s point of view (lst person or 3rd person limited, 3rd person      omniscient).

2.1.D   Identify simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, alliteration, or personification in poetry or prose.

2.1.E   Identify how the author reveals character (what the author tells us, what other characters say about him/her, what the character does, what the character says, what the character thinks)

At Level 2, the student is able to

2.2.A   Draw inference(s) from a selected passage.

2.2.B   Determine the meaning of a word in context.

2.2.C   Differentiate among verbal, situational, and dramatic irony.

2.2.D   Pinpoint a cause-effect relationship using a graphic organizer

2.2.E   Discover the common theme in a series of passages.

2.2.F   Select a logical word or phrase to complete an analogy.

2.2.G  Select the correct paraphrase of a given passage.

At Level 3, the student is able to

2.3.A  Identify an allusion in poetry or prose.

2.3.B  Differentiate between mood and tone in poetry or prose.

2.3.C  Determine the significance/meaning of a symbol in poetry or prose.

Performance Indicators Teacher

As documented through teacher observation:

At Level 1, the student is able to:

• participate in paired readings using one or more sources
• read silently from a variety of sources
• identify appropriate resource material for further study of a topic in a nonfiction excerpt (e.g. encyclopedia, almanac, dictionary, thesaurus)

At Level 2, the student is able to:

• participate in a group oral presentation (choral reading, readers' theater, play performance)
• present an excerpt from a dramatic work containing dialect and interpret the literal meaning of the passage
• select appropriate resource material for further study of a topic in a nonfiction excerpt and integrate the resources.
• analyze and create visual and verbal symbols using multiple texts.
• develop a variety of strategies for extending vocabulary (e.g. context, analogy, derivation, etc.)

At Level 2, the student is able to:

• create a story on tape (sound effects, background music, etc.)
• perform a dramatic presentation/monologue
• create and present an original project involving the thematic similarity in several genres

Content Standard: The student will use, read, and view media/technology and analyze content and concepts accurately.

Goal Statement: Visual communication is becoming an essential element of today's rapidly changing technological society, and students must be prepared for the demands they will face in the twenty-first century. Students must learn how to communicate effectively using visual media for specific purposes and audiences. Furthermore, as consumers, they must develop the skills to discern and evaluate the persuasive devices inherent in multimedia and technology. Educators must provide students with the necessary tools to function productively in tomorrow's world.

Learning Expectations:

• Access and demonstrate multiple technological reference sources.
• Develop media applications for a variety of audiences and purposes.
• Use media to view, to read, to write, to communicate, and to create.
• Analyze the impact of media on daily life.
• Research, organize, interpret, and present information from print and non-print media.
• Utilize multimedia to create, to display, and to explain information.
• Explore the advantages and limitations of the computer as a communication tool.
• Examine the differences between using print and non-print media as a means of communication.
• Explain creative strategies used in the production of print and non-print media.

Performance Indicators State

At Level 1, the student is able to

3.1.A   Select the type of conflict in a non-print medium.

3.1.B   Select the appropriate persuasive device in a given ad (e.g., testimonial, bandwagon, loaded words, misuse of statistics).

At Level 2, the student is able to

3.2.A   Infer either the mood or the tone represented in a non-print medium.

At Level 3, the student is able

3.3.A   Evaluate the validity of a variety of media sources (e.g., personal journal, interview, authorized biography, supermarket tabloids, magazines).

Performance Indicators Teacher

As documented through teacher observation:

At Level 1, the student is able to:

• develop media applications for a variety of audiences and purposes

At Level 2, the student is able to:

• use media to view, to read, to write, to communicate, and to create
• distinguish a persuasive device in an advertisement or a portion of a speech (e.g. propaganda, emotional appeal, bandwagon)
• research, organize, interpret, and present information from print and non-print media.
• analyze the impact of media on daily life.
• analyze the validity and effectiveness of resources.

At Level 3, the student is able to:

• appraise the validity and effectiveness of multiple resources.

Content Standard: The student will express ideas clearly and effectively in a variety of oral contexts and apply active listening skills in the analysis and evaluation of spoken ideas.

Goal Statement: Throughout their lives, students will communicate through speaking and listening as informed individuals, as employees and co-workers, and as family and community members. When students explore the connections such as audience, speaker, purpose, and form, they become more versatile and confident in the choices they make as language users.

Learning Expectations:

• Demonstrate skills in analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of literary works through spoken language.
• Demonstrate confidence and poise in various speaking situations.
• Demonstrate effective listening skills through note-taking.
• Demonstrate critical listening skills essential for comprehension and evaluation.
• Utilize appropriate volume, pitch, rate, diction, inflection, gestures, and body language to facilitate communication incorporating appropriate language structure.
• Analyze audience and determine purpose in preparing oral presentations.
• Define and solve problems rationally and creatively through speaking, listening, and viewing.
• Utilize appropriate verbal and non-verbal feedback in a variety of situations.

Performance Indicators State

As documented through state assessment:

At Level 1, the student is able to

4.1.A    Determine the appropriate preparation (e.g., length and timing, rate of speech, visual aids, diction) for an oral presentation to a specified audience or special interest group.

At Level 2, the student is able to

4.2.A    Determine methods of engaging an audience during an oral presentation.

At Level 3, the student is able to

4.3.A    Evaluate delivery techniques appropriate to a specified audience (emphasis, diction, body language, tone of voice).

Performance Indicators Teacher

As documented through teacher observation:

At Level 1, the student is able to:

• give and receive directions accurately and succinctly.
• prepare and give oral presentations to specified audiences.

At Level 2, the student is able to:

• interpret and evaluate the level of audience interest in both the roles of presenter and audience

At Level 3, the student is able to:

• analyze and select effective delivery techniques in both the roles of presenter and audience